Seasonal changes in the number and species of scarabaeid dung beetles in the middle part of Japan

Seasonal changes in the number and species of scarabaeid dung beetles were investigated at the Experimental Pasture of the Nagoya University, Kitasitara, Aichi Prefecture. Throughout seasons of 1982, 51, 000 beetles belonging to 15 species were collected. Aphodius urostigma, A. rectus, and Onthophagus lenzii were abundant in numbers. Total number of dung beetles was most abundant in period from middle of June to middle of July. The patterns of adult occurrence of 12 relatively abundant species could be devided into four types: (1) A. rectus and A. elegans group: abundant in spring and autumn; (2) A. haroldianus and A. pusillus group: abundant in early summer; (3) A. uniplagiatus, A. sublimbatus, A. urostigma, A. lewisii, Liatongus phanaeoides, and Onthophagus lenzii group: abundant in summer; (4) O. fodiens and O. ater group: appeared throughout seasons, but most abundant in autumn. The pattern and peak of adult occurrence of more abundant species, A. urostigma, A. rectus, A. haroldianus, and O. lenzii, were distinctly different from each other.